GOP Senator Jeff Flake: Trump Should ‘Soften’ Position on Muslims

Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump should soften his position on banning Muslims temporarily from coming into the United States of America because it “is a religious test that is certainly against the Constitution.”

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Flake said, “He’s got to soften his position there. A total and complete ban on Muslims, that is a religious test that is certainly against the constitution and it is the last thing we should do if we want to win a war on terrorism. It’s constitutionally wrong, and also strategically, it’s just not a smart thing to do.”

He added, “Obviously, Donald Trump was not my first choice or 17th choice to put it mildly. However, he is the nominee, the presumptive nominee. I don’t see a third-party challenger come along. I would rather, as Paul Ryan has said, rather Mr. Trump simply change some of his positions and modify what he has said. Now, I think he’s going to need to. We’re well behind in the polls right now. And in order to win this election, if Republicans want to win, and we do, then we’ve got to change the approach. Because we’re not going to win taking these positions.”